Ballymena man jailed for 15 months for spate of incidents one of which involved 'gratuitous violence'
A Ballymena man involved in a crimewave which included an incident of "gratuitous violence" has been jailed for 15 months.
Alexander David Galloway (33), of Drumtara, committed offences in Ballymena and Portrush.
On March 31 in 2022 a man was punched three or four times to the face by Galloway. The defendant left and returned five minutes later with another man and they kicked and punched the victim. The other attacker has already been in court.
When arrested Galloway punched a police officer several times on the head and grappled with another officer. Incapacitant spray was used on the defendant. The defendant had Pregabalin tablets.
DNA from the injured man was found on Galloway's trainers and tracksuit bottoms. On May 12 in 2023, Galloway had entered apartments in Portrush and caused around "£1,000" damage to mirrors, pictures and doors.
He entered a bedroom where a man was sleeping and lifted the man's phone. The man awakened, challenged the defendant and retrieved his phone.
Galloway went into another bedroom and "annoys" a person before the defendant, who was drunk, was ejected. Galloway punched a man on the mouth.
On December 7 last year a woman said she was in her kitchen when two males approached her window. She said one was the defendant who "demanded" that she had over her medication to him.
She refused and Galloway then smashed the window and climbed in through it and started to look through her cupboards for medication without success. The woman was in fear of being assaulted.
A number of attempts were made by police to locate the defendant but officers did not get him until December 26 at his home.
The defendant pushed a dog out the front door which "ran towards police" and to protect themselves "they used spray on the dog", a prosecutor said.
Meanwhile, on January 18 this year the defendant caused criminal damage to an electronic bail monitoring tag.
In the early hours of April 5 this year he stole £100 worth of alcohol from a utility room at a property in Ballymena. His fingerprints were a match.
Around midnight on April 6 CCTV showed him walking with a can of alcohol in his hand. He was trying door handles in Ballymena including at the home of an 83-year-old man who was left upset and "in fear".
On two days this summer he stole from two shops and in another incident he assaulted police and was disorderly. On July 7 this year he stole £300 alcohol from a shop in Ballymena.
A defence barrister "it seems now the penny has dropped" with the defendant regarding his offending and he is "ashamed and appalled".
When under influence of substances "he is a completely different person" but that "is not the person he wishes to be," said the lawyer.
Jailing the defendant for 15 months, District Judge Nigel Broderick said in one of the cases there had been "gratuitous violence".
And in another incident he said the 83-year-old man in the attempted break-in was left in "great fear and apprehension".